THE 850 members of the Port Stephens-based Heart Letter Pen movement have reached a major milestone.

The group has delivered 50,000 handmade and handwritten cards to aged care facilities across Australia.

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Heart Letter Pen was launched in July 2020 by Corlette local November Sheehan.

“50,000 cards, that’s more than the seating capacity of the Sydney Cricket Ground!” November told News Of The Area.

But how does it work?

Generous souls make beautiful cards which are hand written by others, sending them in bulk packages to November who checks every single card before it is sorted, and packed up for distribution to nursing homes.

Some of the nursing homes have hundreds of residents, others as few as twelve, all of whom receive a beautiful handmade card on occasions like Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

This act of kindness was born through the need for the elderly living in nursing homes to feel valued, connected and cared for by the wider community as they endured Covid lockdowns.

The card makers make sure that every card is special and for some, the simple act of making these cards is a form of therapy in itself.

Donations of cards regularly come flooding into the Post Office, with so many coming in this month that November needed two people and a trolley to get the cards back to the car.

The card makers and those who write messages in the cards remain anonymous.

Culturally sensitive cards and cards suitable for those that have not been parents are also selected and included in the care packages.

Not prepared to stop at sending the cards to nursing homes, November and her amazing volunteers have added Newcastle Meals on Wheels to the list of recipients.

This group has already been supplied with 1,200 Thinking Of You cards and are set to receive some extra Christmas cheer as well.

November believes that in a world filled with fast communication like messaging and texts we forget how important the written word is.

For the elderly who grew up receiving and sending mail, the cards are something to treasure and share – some even keep them under their pillows.

“I was told by a staff member in a dementia ward at a nursing home that the residents were holding their cards, closing their eyes and feeling the textures and smiling.”

November is grateful for the support of the Port Stephens East Ward Councillors Leah Anderson, Matt Bailey and Glen Dunkley who assisted Heart Pen Letter this year with a grant and some office supplies which helped the team get Father’s Day cards out to nursing homes around the country.

“What we need most now are prepaid post satchels to get the cards out.

“Our belief is that kindness is real and not manufactured.

“Our new goal is to send out as many cards as we can and we hope to surpass the seating of the Sydney Cricket Ground and knock the capacity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground for six!”

The MCG seats 100,024 people.

You can check out some of the beautiful cards on the Heart Letter Pen Facebook page.

The organisation does not accept cash donations, however donations of prepaid post satchels would be gratefully accepted – these can be sent to PO Box 222 Nelson Bay 2315.

By Marian SAMPSON